The first thing he hears when his mind awakens is a lullaby. He blinks, letting out a yawn as dull morning light peaks in through the window. It casts a soft glow on the white sheets his wife had forced them to get.

‘-and if that looking glass gets broke…’ The soft voice whispers so close to his ear he turns to see if his wife is standing behind him. She’s not. Her brown hair and blue eyes are absent from the room. Though, the door was wide open, so he didn’t have to guess too much as to where she went.

Across the hallway — through the door of their son’s room — he sees her hunched over figure. She’s wearing nothing but a tank top and some of his own boxer briefs decorated in dinosaurs. Long, brown hair flows down her back perfectly even in the early morning. When she shifts he sees the top of his son’s head cradled against her chest.

Her lips weren’t moving. Not even in that half whispered sort of way. He furrows his brows, wiping at the sleep left in the corners.

‘-mama’s gonna buy you a little pup.’ The soft voice continues. His wife turns fully, then, revealing the little bundle of baby boy in her arms. He was swaddled in a soft blue blanket. Only his little head — covered with a cap — was visible.

She looks up, her eyes meeting his. When she sees he is awake she smiles a small smile before turning back to their child.

‘He needs to shave. Growing that stupid beard again.’ This brings him again to another pause. His wife wasn’t even looking at him. Heck, she wasn’t even speaking.

Something twists in his stomach. He sits up, gazing around the bright room. Out the window one of his neighbors is walking past. When the person gets to the front of their lawn another voice fills his mind.

‘-can’t stop yet. I have to keep going for a few more minutes to get my steps in! Oh, Miranda is going to be so upset with me…’ As the man walks past, the voice fades away with him until it is gone.

His heart really starts picking up at this. Was he crazy? There was no way he could hear people from that far away. His wife wasn’t even singing! Her lips weren’t moving! He felt cold.

“Jared, what’s got you up so early? It’s your day off, sweetheart.” Jared’s wife, Mary, draws his attention. When he turns towards her she is the process of slipping on one of her long robs, an action normally followed by her making breakfast for the family. “You can go back to sleep, yeah?”

“Um, no. Somethings a little-“ Jared stops himself before he says another word. Telling his wife anything about voices in his head would set her off. Her sister had said the same thing a while ago and, well, it hadn’t ended well. “-off. My head hurts. I think I’m going to take some medicine for it.”

He answers quickly, in a rushed manor.

‘Weirdo.’ Comes his wife’s voice.